"The Professional's" Luc Besson has made a fair share of artfully bad movies. Arthur and the Invisibles -- half-live-action, half-CG kid's adventure -- is (by a hair) more bad-bad, like "The Fifth Element," than good-bad, like "The Big Blue."

Parents need to know that this animated-live action film is muddled and a bit hectic. The movie's two realms feature two villains: a developer who wants to take Grandma's land and an underground bully who threatens to enslave the tiny, perky Minimoys. There's some stereotyping: A working-class mother worries that she's abandoned her son, African warriors appear only to help a white boy have an adventure, the girl Minimoy has pink hair, etc. The movie is based on series of children's books by director Luc Besson.

Families can talk about Arthur's underground adventure. Kids, have you ever imagined changing your size or changing your body? How? What's appealing about the Minimoys? How is Arthur able to help his grandmother? Why are Arthur's parents living apart from him? If your family has read the books the movie is based on, you can compare them. Which do you like better? Why?

The good stuff

Messages: Arthur doses his grandmother with sleeping drops so he can sneak after the treasure; Maltazard is villainous; mean developer wants grandmother's home; Arthur's mother worries that, in their absence, she and her husband are "horrible parents" stereotyping of black/"Rasta" characters; minor gender stereotyping (girl Minimoy has pink hair, though she's also tough and brave).

What to watch for

Violence and scariness: Some banging around and crashing into things as the Minimoys travel through tunnels and the lawn; evil Maltazard threatens to enslave the Minimoys and sics buzzing bugs on them ("divebombing" and swooping, some sense of "menace" in the music); Arthur's descent into the Minimoys' underground is stressful (fast, loud); African warriors initially appear as looming shadows with spears; Arthur must wield the "sword of power" a flood threatens Minimoys.

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